Category: Career Conversations

Role of a Mentor

Role of a Mentor: How to Give Advice

A common question we get asked in our masterclasses is “How do I provide insight without direction? I want to help.  I know they’re coming to me for advice.  But I don’t want to tell them what to do?” And quite right too. This Huffington Post article says it well.  “While mentors can offer valuable

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Questions to ask someone about their career

5 Powerful Questions to Ask Someone About Their Career

Do you work with employees who are unsure how to articulate their ambitions?  Career development conversations are an ideal opportunity to help them think creatively about their future success.  I have some powerful questions to ask someone about their career.  They will help them think about their future and open up possibilities. They are the

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Practical Career Development Questions to Ask Employees

Are you looking for career development questions to ask employees and develop your best people?  If so, you’re not alone.  The most frequently asked questions in our Confident Career Conversations Workshops relate to tools.  Questions like: “What effective tools could I use in my career conversations?” “Are there any particular tools you use that lead

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career development discussion

What happens in a career development discussion?

Recently, a client asked for my help with training their managers to have a career development discussion. They wanted employees to take charge of their own career management but managers lacked skills and experience. The managers were nervous of initiating a career development discussion because: They felt they didn’t have enough time They lacked confidence

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It's Good to Talk

Women in Leadership Discover It’s Good to Talk!

It’s Good to Talk!  That was my message to the audience in Berlin a few weeks ago. At the end of last month, I had the honour of being invited to speak at the Women in Leadership Global Summit.  The event brought together senior women from a wide range of organisations to explore opportunities for

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career conversations work

The Art of Effective Career Conversations

A Year in the Life of a Manager Development Programme | Part Five In this, the fifth instalment of the ‘A Year in the Life of a Manager Development Programme’ series, we explore what happened during the second workshop and look at why career conversations are important for building strong teams. Preparation for practice Before the

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Woman sitting at her desk with glasses off finger on forehead

My Biggest Talent Development Mistake

Talent Development Mistakes  – Have you ever made them? I have a confession to make. Even with decades of talent development experience, I have, in the past, let my own employees down. Talent Development Mistakes | How Career Conversations can Help I’ll never forget the time one of my best employees, Roby, asked to see me. 

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career conversation guide

Enabling Mentors to Have Quality Career Conversations [Slideshare]

There is something wonderfully inspiring about meeting strangers and feeling like you’ve known them forever within hours.  That’s what happened to me a couple of weeks ago when I had the pleasure of presenting at the International Mentoring Association Conference in Phoenix, Arizona. I guess that’s the power of bringing together 120 people who are

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Antoinette Oglethorpe explaining how to engage employees through career conversations

How to Engage Employees Through Career Conversations

At the beginning of 2015, a large financial services organisation contacted me to ask for help with how to engage employees through career conversations.  They wanted to upskill their in-house coaches with the skills to talk to employees about their careers.  They had a pool of about 40 managers who make up their internal coaching

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cartoon professional woman with sledge hammer destroying the word FEAR

How to Remove Fear from Career Conversations With Employees

It’s no wonder managers can find it hard to have career conversations with employees. Time pressures, office politics and egos can all get in the way. We all know it’s good to talk. But, let’s face it.  Opening up a conversation about a sensitive issue like career progression can weigh heavily on even the most

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confident career conversations book Cover by Author Antoinette Oglethorpe